Fuse-box.



J. W. BIRD.

FUSE BOX. 4

APPLICATION TILED APR. 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

inventor:

UNITED STATES PATEN T GFFIQE.

JAMES W. BIRD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FUSE-BOX.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. BIRD, a citiaen of the United States of America, residing at the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuse-Boxes, of which the followin is a full, clear, and exact description, refiarence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a fuse box'more particularly designed for use upon the cars of electrically operated railways, and it has for its object the production of a fuse box having means therein for the support of a supply of fuses, means for actuating the fuse receiving members, and means whereby the fuses may be discharged from the supporting means and deposited upon the fuse receiving members without the necessity of handling the fuses during the act of placing them upon the fuse receiving members.

Figure I is an elevation of my fuse box with the front wall of the casing omitted, and the top of the casing partly broken out. Fig. II is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the fuse supporting means, the fuse receiving means, and the rest member on which the fuses are deposited when they are applied to the fuse receivin members. F ig, III is an enlarged longitudinal section through the fuse supporting device. Fig. IV is a cross section through the fuse supporting device. Fig. V is an enlarged .perspective view of the dog by which the fuses are dislodged from the fuse supporting device.

In the accompanying drawin 's:A designates the casing of my fuse box havin a top B. Within the casing is a lining 6 of insulating material. In the top of the casin of my fuse box is a central aperture 1 ant? between said central aperture and the ends of the top are apertures 2.

3 designates terminal connections within the casing A to which electrical conductors D are attached, and which are provided with pivot studs 4:.

5 are swing arms mounted upon the pivot studs of the terminal connections and to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1910.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Serial No. 556,676.

which are connected springs 6 which act to draw said swing arms away from each other; or, in other words, move the arms outwardly relative to each other when they are free of restraint. The swing arms are normally held so that they are substantially parallel with each other, and the means for causing them to be so held is a fuse that encircles the two arms, such as that shown applied to them in Fig. I and indicated by the letter X. This fuse, which is of ring form and an ordinary type, is supported near the upper ends of the swing arms by a suitable support 7, of insulating material, located between the arms, and which is provided with shoulders to receive the fuse, as seen most clearly in Fig. II. As will be obvious, the fuse, when in position to connect the swing arms 5, performs, aside from its function of holdin said arms in their normal positions, the 0 cc of completing an electrical circuit which involves the passage of the electrical current from one of the conductors D to the other conductor D through the swing arms bridged by the fuse. The fuse receiving member and the use of a fuse to connect them is known to be old, and no invention per se is herein claimed for such matter.

9 designates links havin 10 to the swing arms 5, t e other ends of which are pivoted at 11 to double armed rocker levers 12 pivotally supported at 13. 14 are operating rods, preferably of insulating material, that extend vertically in the casing of my fuse box and the lower ends of which are pivoted at 15 to the rocker levers 12, while the upper ends of the rods extend loosely through the apertures 2 in the top B of the fuse box casing. The operating rods Ll are adapted to be depressed by means to be hereinafter described and which, upon their depression, act upon the arms of the rocker levers to which they are connected, in order that said rocker levers may, through the medium of the links 9, perform the service of moving the swing arms 5 inwardly toward each other after they have been separated under the influence of the springs 6, following the burning out of a ends pivoted at fuse utilized to normally hold the free ends and IV, and it should be stated with regard of the swing arms in close relation to each other. The inward movement of the swing arms provides for the application of a fresh fuse to the swing arms through the means and in the manner to be hereinafter set forth.

l6 designates an operating lever surmounting the casing A and extending thereacross, this operating lever being connected at its rear end to the fuse box casing by a hinge 17. The lever is normally supported in an elevated position by a lift spring 18 and it is so positioned as to provide for its exerting a downward pressure upon the operating rods ll when the lever is lowered to the osition seen in dotted lines Fig. I. In or er that the operating lever may act upon the operating rods properly, I preferably provide said lever with adjustable devices 19, preferably in the nature of screws, and which bear against the upper ends of the operating rods when the operating lever is depressed for the actuation of the rods.

20 designates a carrier for the fuses X and by which they are supported to be dropped singly into positions around the swing arms 5. This fuse carrier is in the form of a stem made of insulating material and which is detachably connected to the operating handle 16 in any desirable manner, the carrier being shown in the drawings as provided at its upper end with a screw threaded shank 21 extending through the operating handle, and upon which is held a nut 22. The fuse carrier is provided with a bore 23 extending upwardly from its lower end, and in the wall of the carrier opposite said bore, is a slot 24.

25 is a trip rod slidably fitted in the bore in the fuse carrier and which is normally held depressed by a spring 29, so that its lower end projects beneath the lower end of the fuse carrier. In the trip rod 25 is a cavity 26 located adjacent to the slot 24 in the fuse carrier, and which is spanned by pins or studs 27 and 28, one arranged above the other and separated, as seen in Fig. III.

30 designates a spring tongue secured to the fuse carrier above the slot 24 therein and having its lower pendent portion arranged in said slot, the tongue terminating in an outturned lip 31, adapted to receive and serve as a support for the fuses X arranged thereabove upon the fuse carrier. 32 is a fuse dislodging dog arranged in the slot 24 of the fuse carrier and supported by a pivot pin 33. This dog is provided with a tail arm 34 arranged between the pins 27 and 28 carried by the trip rod 25, and it is also provided with an upwardly extending arm 35 that terminates in a nose 36 arranged adjacent to the out-turned lip 31 at the lower end of the spring tongue 30. The parts just described are most clearly seen in Figs. III

E to them that the fuse carrier 20 is so located that the trip rod 25 therein normally occupies a position above and offset from the member 7 between the swing arms 5 in which it is maintained due to the support of the operating lever 16 by the spring 18, and that said carrier is adapted to be lowered toward said support 7 through the medium of said operating lever to carry the trip rod to the support 7, for the purpose of causing it to be elevated and actuate the fuse dislodging dog 32.

In the practical use of my fuse box, the operation of the parts is as follows: It will first be assumed that a fuse is in position around the swing arms 5 serving to hold them from spreading outwardly and also serving as a current conducting means from one of said arms to the other. In the event of this fuse becoming burned out, the swing arms are liberated and are moved outwardly to the positions seen in dotted lines, Fig. I, under the influence of the springs 6. To apply another fuse to the swing arms, the following operations are carried out: The operator, by grasping the handle of the op erating lever, moves said lever downwardly until it strikes against the operating rods 14, causing said rods to act upon the levers 12, and said levers in turn act upon the links 9'to move the swing arms 5 into the positions seen in full lines, Fig. I. At the same time that the operating rods 14 are acted upon, as stated, the fuse carrier 20 is moved into a vertical position above the support 7, with the result of causing impingement of the trip rod 25 upon said support, and consequent upward movement of the trip rod in the fuse carrier. The trip rod in its upward movement imparts movement to the fuse dislodging dog 32 by reason of the engagement of the lower pin 27 carried by the rod with the tail arm 34: of said dog, whereby the nose 36 of the dog is caused to pass between the lowermost fuse resting upon the lip of the spring tongue 30 and the fuse immediately above it to carry said fuse downthat said fuse may be discharged from the fuse carrier and deposited in place around the swing arms 5 to remain there for the performance of its oflice. The nose of the dog in performing the office of dislodging the lowermost fuse also acts to support the fuse, or fuses, above it and, therefore, when the fuse carrier has again moved upwardly upon the release of the operating lever 16 and the trip rod 25 is returned to its normal position by virtue of the spring 29, the nose of the dog moves backwardly into the slot 24 in the fuse carrier, permitting the fuses remaining on the carrier to descend, in order that the lowermost one may rest upon the lip of the spring tongue 30 ready to be diswardly and over the end of the lip, in order charged therefrom, by the operation of the parts as described, when there is occasion for its utility to replace the previously dropped fuse.

I claim 1. In a fuse box, the combination with fuse receiving members, of means for moving one of said fuse receiving members toward the other, an operating member for actuating the fuse receiving member moving means, a fuse carrier, and means whereby fuses may be discharged from said carrier and delivered to said fuse receiving members upon the actuation of the operating means by which one of them is moved toward the other.

2. In a fuse box, the combination with fuse receiving members, of means for moving one of said fuse receiving members toward the other, an operating member for actuating the fuse receiving member moving means, a fuse carrier carried by said operating member, and means whereby fuses may be discharged from said carrier and delivered to said fuse receiving members upon the actuation of the operating means by which one of them is moved toward the other.

3. In a fuse box, the combination with spring controlled fuse receiving members, of means for actuating said fuse receiving members, an operating member for actuating the fuse receiving member operating means, a fuse carrier carried by said actuating means, and means whereby fuses may be discharged from said carrier and delivered to said fuse receiving members upon the actuation of their operating means.

4:. In a fuse box, the combination with fuse receiving members, of a movably sup ported fuse carrier, means carried by said fuse carrier for supporting fuses thereon, and means for actuating said last named means to permit the discharge of a fuse from the carrier and its delivery to the fuse receiving members.

5. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, operating rods for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, an operating lever for operating said rods, a fuse carrier carried by said operating lever, and fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during movement of said operating lever.

6. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, operating rods for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, an operating lever for operating said rods, a fuse carrier carried by said operating lever, fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during movement of said operating lever; said last named means comprising a yieldable fuse supporting member fixed to the fuse carrier, and means whereby fuses are dislodged from said fuse supporting member to be delivered to said fuse receiving members.

7. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, operating rods for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, an operating lever for operating said rods, a fuse carrier carried by said operating lever, fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during movement of said operating lever; said last named means comprising a fuse supporting spring tongue fixed to said fuse carrier, a dog for. dislodging the fuses from said tongue, and means for actuating said dog.

8. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, operating rods for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, an operating lever for operating said rods, a fuse carrier carried by said operating lever, fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during movement of said operating lever; said last named means comprising a fuse supporting spring tongue fixed to said carrier, a dog for dislodging the fuses from said tongue, and a spring controlled trip rod arranged in said carrier and by which said dog is operated.

9. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, operating rods for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, an operating lever for operating said rods, a fuse carrier carried by said operating lever, fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during movement of said operating lever; said last named means comprising a fuse supporting spring tongue fixed to said carrier and provided with an out-turned lip on which the fuses are adapted to rest, a dog for dislodging the fuses from said tongue, and a spring controlled trip rod arranged in said fuse carrier and by which said dog is actuated.

10. In a fuse box, the combination with movable fuse receiving members, of an operating member for moving said fuse receiving members to fuse receiving positions, a fuse carrier attached to said operating members, and fuse supporting means carried by said fuse carrier adapted to be automatically actuated for the release of a fuse during the movement of said operating member.

11. In a fuse box, the combination with fuse receiving members, of a fuse ring carrier, a movable projection extending outwardly from the fuse carrier, and means for 'moving said projection to allow a fuse ring fuses from said fuse support to the fuse to pass from the fuse earner t0 the fuse recelvmg members, and means for actuating recelving members. said dog.

12. In a fuse box, the combination with JAMES W. BIRD. 5 fuse recei'v'illg-members, of a fuse carrier, a In the presence ofyield-able fuse support carried by said car- A. J. MOOAULEY, rier a movable dog adapted to discharge E. B. LINN. 

